Immune System/Transcript
Transcript Text reads: The Mysteries of Life with Tim and Moby. Tim is lying in bed. On the night table next to him is an empty glass. Moby walks in and stands next to the bed looking at Tim. Tim sneezes. MOBY: Beep! Moby hands a sheet of paper to Tim. Tim takes the paper and uses it to blow his nose. Tim then realizes that it’s a letter. TIM: Oh. Sorry. Tim reads from the letter. The paper has stains on it. TIM: Dear Tim and Moby, why do we get sick? From, Ashley. Yeah, I was just asking myself the same question. Tim coughs. Moby offers Tim a thermometer. TIM: Cut it out! Moby withdraws the thermometer. TIM: No one likes to have a fever or a cough that just won't stop. But you'd get sick a lot more if it weren't for your immune system. An animation shows a sight with crosshairs scanning around. It moves until its crosshairs are centered on an object that appears to be a germ. The germ has eyes and a mouth and many pink spheres attached to its head. A caption reads: "immune system". Red laser beams shoot out and hit the germ directly in the middle. It bursts apart and disappears. TIM: That's a system of tissues, cells, and organs that help your body fight off illness and disease. Your immune system starts with some general defenses against pathogens. A drawing appears depicting six different cartoon-like figures. One is the image of the germ that was seen in the previous scene. The other five are similar evil-looking figures. A caption reads: "pathogens". TIM: Those are any germs or chemicals that can make you sick. Skin is like a shield that prevents pathogens from entering your body. An animation of the outline of a human body is shown. The boundary of the body is outlined in beige and is labeled "skin". A close-up of a germ is seen trying to enter the body, but bouncing off the skin instead. TIM: Mucus in your nose traps many of pathogens you inhale, preventing them from getting into your bloodstream. An animation of a close-up inside a nose shows various pathogens traveling down a passageway but getting stuck on strands of mucus covering small hairs that line the passageway. A caption reads: "mucus". TIM: And stomach acids kill bacteria that live on the food you eat. An animation shows a view into the stomach. Pathogens are falling down into a pool of acid and getting destroyed. TIM: Sometimes, though, germs get by those defenses and into your blood. An animation shows a germ entering the bloodstream. Then the view changes to the outline of a person with white dots circulating throughout the body. A caption reads: "white blood cells (leukocytes)." An insert shows a white figure wearing sunglasses and a headset with a microphone. The letter "Upper T" is on its forehead. TIM: White blood cells, or leukocytes, patrol your bloodstream looking for these invaders. If leukocytes recognize a germ, they’ll kill it before you get sick. The white figure spots a germ and speaks into its microphone. Another larger white figure is summoned and gobbles down the germ. TIM: Your immune system sends lots of germs running for their lives on a daily basis. An animation shows five cartoon pathogens fleeing along a plain. They are being chased by a small army of five leukocytes wearing combat helmets, each with the letter "Upper B" on it. TIM: But if it doesn't recognize them. The germs could multiply, invade your cells and make you sick. The leukocyte wearing the headset is shown briefly. The animation changes to a different-shaped germ. It doubles into two, then four, and continues to multiply until the screen is filled with germs. The scene returns to Tim in bed. TIM: But your immune system is always learning. When they figure out what's making you sick, white blood cells create antibodies to fight the infection. The animation shows the leukocyte wearing a headset spot germs. It calls for help, and another leukocyte with a "Upper B" on its forehead and carrying a test tube arrives. Small orange objects emerge from the test tube. These objects look like small pies with a slice taken out of them. One of these objects is labeled "antibody". TIM: An antibody is a protein that binds with a molecule, or antigen, found only on the invading germ. The antibodies surround the invading germs and begin to latch on to green triangles protruding out of the bodies of the germs. Each triangle fits snugly into the antibody where the missing "slice" would be. One of the green triangles is labeled "antigen". TIM: The antibody is sort of a red flag, signaling leukocytes to kill the germ. Large leukocytes appear and gobble down the germs. TIM: Some antibodies can neutralize germs on their own. A large group of antibodies can be seen together attacking a germ. With a blue flash, the germ disappears. TIM: If you get sick from a virus, like the flu or a cold, your immune system can usually fight it off on its own. An animation shows a sickly looking girl in a classroom standing next to a blackboard. The girl is coughing and looks clammy and flushed. She wears a frown. After a bit, the girl begins to smile and her complexion clears up. TIM: But bacterial infections, like strep throat, may require assistance from antibiotic medications. A drawing of a bottled labeled "antibiotics" is shown. The scene changes back to Tim in bed. TIM: Oh, and the coolest thing about your immune system is that it remembers. MOBY: Beep? TIM: When you have something like chicken pox, your body memorizes the antibodies it built to fight it off. An animation shows a white leukocyte sitting at a control panel studying a video monitor. A picture of a yellow germ appears, green triangles protruding from its skin. One of the green triangles is analyzed, and the screen brings up a picture of the orange antibody that was previously able to destroy this type of germ. Underneath the drawing of the orange antibody a message, "start production" flashes. TIM: If that chicken pox pathogen tries to enter your body again, the immune system will know how to get rid of it. A close-up of the germ is shown invading the body. A white leukocyte carrying a test tube dashes over to it. Antibodies swarm out of the test tube and begin attacking the germ. One latches onto a green triangle with its mouth and attracts the attention of a large leukocyte that gobbles it down whole. TIM: That's how vaccines like polio and measles shots work. An animation shows a man sitting on an exam table. A nurse approaches carrying a hypodermic needle. A caption reads: "vaccine". TIM: Your body is injected with a tiny amount of virus. A close-up of the hypodermic needle shows green triangular antigens being injected into the person's body. TIM: Usually, the virus is either killed or deactivated—but your immune system still recognizes it, and creates antibodies for it. The green antigens are seen floating around inside the body. Leukocytes with combat helmets are carrying the orange antibodies associated with these antigens. TIM: So if those diseases ever come your way, they won't make it far. An animation of a germ with green triangular antigens is seen trying to cross a barbed-wire fence. Just beyond the fence is a trench full of leukocytes that release the orange antibodies. The antibodies attack the germ, and a loud explosion is heard. The germ disintegrates into a cloud of smoke. TIM: Once you have the antibodies for a certain illness, you’re immune to it. A drawing shows orange antibodies on the left. On the right is a germ with green triangular antigens protruding from its body. The germ is surrounded by the "no" symbol. The scene shifts back to Tim and Moby. Tim is still bedridden. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Actually, your immune system does need your help. Simple things like not getting enough sleep or not eating right can weaken your immune system so that you get sick more often. A cartoon appears, showing a sleepy student sitting at a desk in a classroom. A panel to the right shows images of cola, chips, cake, candy, ice cream, and cookies. The view returns to Tim speaking from bed. TIM: And sometimes, pathogens attack the immune system itself! You've probably heard of H.I.V., the virus that causes AIDS, or acquired immune deficiency syndrome. A drawing shows a large blue sphere with protruding white spines. A caption reads: "UpperWord H I V (UpperWord AIDS virus)." Four words—"Acquired", "Immune", "Deficiency", and "Syndrome"—appear stacked one on top of each other, showing that the first letter of each word is used to spell out the acronym UpperWord "AIDS". TIM: H.I.V. attacks white blood cells and weakens your immune system to the point that your body can't fight off pathogens. An animation shows a blue virus with white spines wearing a hat containing the letter "Upper A" attacking a white leukocyte wearing a headset. The blue virus throws a green sack over the head of the leukocyte. The virus laughs menacingly. TIM: When this happens, something like a simple cold can make a person really sick. A control room is seen with various monitors of the human body. The monitors pinpoint the location of the virus with orange flashing dots. Alarm bells are ringing. However, the leukocyte sitting in the control chair cannot respond to any of the monitors or alarms because it has a green sack over its head. Back in the bedroom, Tim continues speaking to Moby. MOBY: Beep? TIM: Nope, H.I.V. isn't the only cause of immune system malfunctions. MOBY: Beep? TIM: People's immune systems can also break down as a result of things like malnutrition, obesity, and drug abuse. A serious of three circles show a scraggly woman looking at herself in a mirror, a woman eating pizza next to a box of cheese popcorn, and a hypodermic needle next to a marijuana leaf. The view returns to Tim speaking from bed. TIM: And sometimes, the immune system goes haywire from something called autoimmunity. That's a condition when the body's immune system overreacts to certain cells in the body that are not really a threat. An animation shows a leukocyte wearing a headset spotting an innocent-looking orange cell. The leukocyte summons a larger, fierce-looking, white leukocyte. TIM: When that happens, a person’s own immune system essentially attacks him—or herself—which is really bad news. MOBY: Beep? Tim sneezes again. TIM: Well, the common cold is actually lots of different viruses that produce similar symptoms. Just because your immune system fought off one cold virus doesn't mean it'll be ready for the next one. An animation shows a green germ with green triangles protruding from its body. After a moment, it transforms into a similarly shaped germ with pairs of purple triangles protruding from its body. Tim sneezes again. The view switches to Moby rolling in a hand truck containing two large boxes labeled UpperWord "O.J." On top of the cartons are several individual containers of orange juice. MOBY: Beep. TIM: Uh, I can't drink all that! Moby holds a container of orange juice in front of Tim's face. MOBY: Beep. Beep! TIM: Okay, okay. Moby begins to pour orange juice into the empty glass on the night table. Category:BrainPOP Transcripts Category:BrainPOP Health Transcripts